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It is imperative to stand out from the job seeking pack when you are applying for work. Each step is important; the application, resume and particularly the interview! We suggest doing your homework on the company to be prepared and remember these helpful interview tips.

Providing References: If you plan to provide work and character references at the time of your interview, be sure to contact your references ahead of time. Not everyone you respect and value will feel the exact same way about you. Be sure you discuss listing them as a reference before actually doing so. Discuss what they plan to say about you and update them on your current information and the position you are applying for.

Cell Phones: We all have cell phones and use them as a lifeline to our outside world. However, the interview is not the time for a surprising ringtone to go off. Always turn your phone OFF! An interrupting phone call or text can ruin the positive energy of an interview. Not even carrying your phone in would be even better.

Give the Gift of Time: Make sure you have the address of your interview destination before leaving. If possible, drive by ahead of time so that you know how long it will take you, where you will park and any complications you will encounter on your way. If you will need money for parking, be sure to have that ready as well.

No Entourage: Leave your children at home. Even when you are picking up an application, if at all possible, find a place for your kids to be during that time so that you can focus and show your professionalism. Applying for jobs can already be a high stress situation, don’t increase it by adding more to your plate. Focus on the task at hand, landing your dream job.

Run-through: Prepare responses to common interview questions ahead of time. There are all sorts of resources available for this online. Rehearse your responses in front of a mirror or with a friend, but make sure to practice, practice, practice!

With a bit of planning you can greatly reduce the possibility of surprises that will distract you from the task at hand, proving that you are the best fit for the position and company.

Have you recently left an interview feeling demotivated? Disappointed you didn’t get the job, or unhappy with your interview performance?

As an investor, I’ve had to learn that not every deal succeeds. The same is true of interviews. I would love to guarantee you 100% success, but not every interview will end with you getting the job, because some things aren’t meant to be, and for whatever reason, you’re not the right candidate for that role.

The important thing is not to dwell on your misfortune, it’s okay to fail, failure doesn’t mean you need to give up, it’s just another experience to learn from.

Instead of wallowing and losing hope, immediately look for what you can learn from the experience and come away stronger.

Make sure you ask for feedback

If you fail to get selected, assess why you weren’t chosen and be prepared to deal with any issues you can identify.

Let’s say you receive an email that says “Thank you for coming in, but unfortunately you haven’t been selected”.

The first thing you should be thinking about is finding out why. Nine out of ten interviewers won’t give you a reason in the email, and most people accept that.

This is where they go wrong. If you don’t know why, how are you going to improve?

Find out what went wrong

Don’t be afraid to call your interviewer directly and pose the question. The trick is to handle this conversation carefully to ensure you get an answer you can work with, and not a bland, generic ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ response.

Be polite, yet forward. Show your appreciation, thank them for their time, trigger their memory by referring to something specific you discussed – something that will help the interviewer put a face to your name.

Then it’s time to make your move…

Ask: “I interviewed for the marketing role recently. I fully understand you found a better suited candidate, but just out of curiosity, could I ask what did you think made me unsuitable for the job? What do I need to work on?”

Initially, the interviewer will be taken aback by your question, and will probably try and give you a generic “you didn’t have the right experience” approach.

That’s the time to push harder.

“What area in particular did you feel I lacked experience?”

When you have an answer you can work with, you can either take this opportunity to push back and pitch yourself again, or thank them for the feedback and ensure you take this particular point into consideration next time you’re interviewing.

Constructive feedback can highlight weaknesses you weren’t aware of. Don’t see this as a bad thing, understanding your strengths and weaknesses is vital for future success, and it’s a skill many of us lack.

Take it from me, as an employer and businessman, this approach is guaranteed to leave a good impression.

Are you ready to wow hiring managers during your next job interview? If you aren’t sure, you better keep reading. Here are some excellent interview tips:

Have an outstanding resume.

Impressive qualifications are a must on any resume, but a list of key accomplishments may not be enough. Your resume appearance is important, as well as your attention to detail. An error free resume is absolutely necessary.

Gaps? Get rid of them.

Life happens, but you don’t have to broadcast it on your resume. If you went through a time that you did not have a full time position, fill the void with volunteer work, projects related to your field that you worked on or even unrelated work. Hiring managers are looking to hire a productive person.

Be honest

Most people have worked in a position that they don’t wish to highlight, or a company they are less than proud of, but have to include the information for resume continuity. If an employer asks you about this position, even if was less than positive, be honest. The worst thing you can do in an interview is to be caught telling an untruth.

Prepare for interview questions.

There are many questions you know you will be asked. You will be asked to tell the interviewer about yourself, you will be asked about your work history, your greatest accomplishments, your weaknesses and so on…be prepared. There will also be questions that take you by surprise, making it that much more important to prepare yourself for the standard interview questions.

Show who you are.

It may not be a good idea to enter with a joke right away, but a little personality will go a long way in an interview. Employers are working to determine if you will be a good cultural fit with the current team. Don’t be too rigid that you aren’t showing who you are. Find common interest points to discuss.

Follow up, follow up, follow up!

Always take the time to send a thank you note or email (determine which is best during the interview process, some companies don’t use a lot of technology) within 24 hours. Missing this step could make all of your effort thus far a waste. During the interview be sure to ask for an appropriate timeline to call to follow up about the position.

You are ready to make a change in your career, but you are currently at a fork in the road. Do you stay within the same role in a new company, or are you ready for substantial change? Depending on the answer, you may have to go back to school to learn a new skill set. However, before taking on the financial burden, do research.

Call a hiring manager who has experience hiring for positions like the one you are interested in, ask what qualifications they are looking for and what would set someone apart from the pack in their pile of applications. Call someone who is in the current position you are seeking, ask what credentials they had at the time of hire. How they landed their job? What organizations they are involved in? What is their education level?

From these conversations decide if going back to school is for you and necessary to land your dream job, or if you could perhaps pick up these skills by volunteering or by taking a similar position that you are more qualified for. Write your plan on paper, develop a timeline, develop a budget and then go for it!

With an extremely low unemployment rate, hiring can be a battle! To circumvent the possibility of making poor hiring choices based only on passing filters through met qualifications, it is important to look for quality employees, and not to lose a possible perfect organizational fit due to an outdated hiring filter.

With Nebraska unemployment rates extremely low, employers can make a tough situation worse by applying unnecessary hiring screens to their processes. These filters could be based on degrees, work backgrounds and disqualifiers such as credit scores or criminal backgrounds.

With certain jobs, degrees are absolutely necessary, IE: nurses, doctors, layers, etc. However, just because you have previously hired individuals with bachelor degrees, that should not preclude you from giving thought to looking at individuals with associate degrees, or perhaps no degree, but with similar experience.

Nontraditional work backgrounds can offer a transferable skill set. Success comes from ability and experience, not strictly one or the other. With drive and passion, employees can exceed expectations; adversely, with lack of these, an employee can fall short of hopes.

Some disqualifiers are mandated by federal law, such as care workers being unable to have a criminal history. However, some are company policy and could be outdated or irrelevant. To screen out potential hires based on a criminal history, credit score or reference, could be a misstep. Many applicants are working toward bettering their lives and are looking for a chance to prove themselves.

In the end, removing hiring filters may increase the length of the hiring process, due to more resumes and more choices. However, if you find the best possible fit, it could reduce your turnover and increase your employee satisfaction.

Job boards are very useful when an employer is looking to fill a position. One overlooked key action for employers is to use job boards to actively shape and manage their employer brand. After all, what do job boards tend to excel at? Focusing and revealing a candidate audience to the employer! In essence, CareerBum acts as a marketing outlet for employer branding.

How can employers use job boards for branding? Here are several ways:

Develop and use a consistent look and feel for all company job postings

Send targeted emailsto candidates that promote the core reputation, benefits, and uniqueness of the employer

Own some of the job board’s ’real estate’ – a consistent home page presence, or ongoing messaging inside the job alerts or an advertisement

Use repetition and multiple delivery methods (email, web, text, career fairs, etc.) to build the employer brand in the job board’s audience. Make those candidates yours.